Here are some shocking facts: According to the First Nations Health Authority, First Nations people in British Columbia makeup 3.4% of the population yet account for 17.8% of our toxic drug deaths. They are over six times more likely to die of poisonous drugs compared to other British Columbians. The number of overdose deaths is so high among indigenous peoples that, as a demographic group, they have lost 7.1 years of life expectancy since 2015.
While COVID-19 has played a role, health experts estimate that over ten times more life years were lost from 2020 to 2022 due to toxic drugs compared to COVID-19. Not since the introduction of smallpox in the 19th Century has life expectancy for indigenous peoples in our Province declined so rapidly. Our drug policy is literally killing off a population.
Sadly, indigenous are not the only group being devastated by toxic drugs. Overall, over six persons die per day from overdoses in our Province and the general population has suffered the first decline in life expectancy since we kept vital statistics—a 1.1 year decline from 2015 to 2021.
The single year of 2023 saw 2,511 persons die of toxic drugs in the Province, the highest ever. Well over 10,000 persons have died from overdoses since the Province declared a public health emergency in April 2016. Since then, the rate of deaths per day has more than doubled.
Public Health experts in this Province, such as Chief Coroner Lisa Lapointe (2022) and Provincial Health Officer Bonnie Henry (2024) have called for a change of direction. They would like to see a comprehensive plan for safe supply to save lives, including indigenous lives. Coroner Lapointe said: “Let’s stop supporting the organized crime-driven illicit drug market, [and] provide safe supply to those at risk.” Bonnie Henry has been specific in her call for a “non-medical” model for “safe supply.”
So far, the responsible governments, Provincial and Federal, have not embraced these calls to action to save lives from the most qualified experts. I call upon the decision-makers to respect the advice of these experts on how to save lives. Given the magnitude of the problem and the disproportionate loss of life among Indigenous peoples, it would be an act an act of reconciliation.
Jim Hanson is a lawyer, a three-term District of North Vancouver councillor, and the chair of the Chair of the North Shore Standing Committee on Substance Use. He is also a member of the Metro Vancouver Indigenous Relations Committee.
How about rehabilitation and not just reconciliation?
I find it hard to believe that giving out more free drugs than has already been given out is going to save more lives. It’s going to lead to more addiction in young people and it’s going to lead to more deaths in all of the population not just the indigenous population.
This is a VERY serious problem of course. Upping the penalties to those convicted of dealing in those drugs should be a good start at correcting the problem. No dealers no not in prison would definitely help.